Documentary of AKB48 Show Must Go On

About

When Yasushi Akimoto created the Japanese girl group AKB48 in 2005, he broke all the rules for girl groups. The gamble has resulted in one of the most successful franchises that has rewritten the record books for the music industry. Unlike other girl groups, AKB48 consists of hundreds of girls who are divided into teams (Team A, Team K, Team B, Team 4, Team 8) that perform daily shows in its own AKB48 Theater in Tokyo. The group holds auditions for new members every year and older members are “graduated” from the group. The competition to stand out is fierce within the group, as regular fan voting determines which members get the coveted “center stage” position as well as being featured on different songs.
“Documentary of AKB48: Show Must Go On” is a Japanese film directed by Eiki Takahashi that was first released in 2012. It takes you behind the scenes of AKB48’s success and introduces you to the individual members as they pursue their dreams of success. After winning many rounds of fan voting to take center stage, Atsuko Maeda was displaced by Yuko Oshima in the previous documentary. In “Documentary of AKB48: Show Must Go On,” Atsuko Maeda regains her No. 1 spot after the 22nd Single Voting. The film also covers behind-the-scenes interviews, illnesses, concerts, AKB48’s General Election, and the Great Tohoku Earthquake relief efforts.
“Documentary of AKB48: Show Must Go On” is preceded by “Documentary of AKB48: To Be Continued” (2011) and is followed by “Documentary of AKB48: No Flower Without Rain” (2013) and “Documentary of AKB48: The Time Has Come” (2014).